ISIL 'blows up' Syria's notorious Palmyra prison

ISIL supporters posted pictures purporting to show the destruction of the prison [via Twitter]

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group has blown up the infamous prison complex in the central Syrian city of Palmyra, according to a monitoring group, destroying an important symbol of government control in the ISIL-held city.

The prison was empty of people at the time of the detonation, said Rami Abdulrahman from the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. He said the facility was "largely destroyed" after ISIL fighters placed explosives inside and around it.

The demolition of the prison, for decades one of the country's most feared detention centres, came 10 days after ISIL captured the city, famed for its ancient ruins.

ISIL announced the explosion in a statement on social media and supporters posted pictures of huge clouds of grey smoke above the complex in the city, also known as Tadmur.